Know Your Farms - Farm Stand PT Opening
13 years ago
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Breakfast Series, 2
Thinking Inside the Box
Question of the Week: Where did cereal come from and how does it affect our food system?
The first morning on the job at Know Your Farms, I walked into the kitchen looking for breakfast. I opened drawers, looked in cupboards, and checked the cabinets but I couldn’t find anything. Where was breakfast. It should stick out easily – after all, it comes in a big box, with some eye catching graphics, maybe a maze or crossword puzzle on the back. This is a staple in American households – how could it not be in the kitchen? What did these people eat for breakfast? Where was the cereal??
Over the past few weeks, I have learned that real food does not come out of a box. It is not the repetitious ritual of robotically shoveling spoonfuls of sugary coated stars and diamonds into your mouth. It does not involve gluing your eyes to a piece of cardboard, searching for a way to get through the maze that ends at the pot o’ gold. Real food is not represented by leprechauns, tigers, or elves. So how did our perception of food deteriorate from whole, fresh, prepared ingredients to a brightly colored box full of high fructose corn syrup? This week, I am tackling the question, “Where does cereal come from and how does it affect our food system?” This is a big question with many layers of questions to consider along the way, but the changes that allowed the breakfast table to transform to boxed cereals all occurred in a relatively short period of time.
It all starts with the number 1863, a monumental year for processed food. In 1863, packaged cereal was born. It was invented by James Caleb Jackson, a Seventh-Day Adventist and strong proponent of vegetarianism. The cereal consisted of tiny grains that Jackson named Granula, but it was hardly fast food. Granula had to sit overnight in order to be ready to eat. The next step combined making breakfast a packaged and quick meal. In 1977, John Harvey Kellogg created a wheat, oat, and cornmeal concoction he called Granola. These dark days of boxed cereal didn’t have the sugary kick or bright colors to keep anyone coming back for a second bowl (Kellogg actually created Granola for patients living in the sanitarium where he worked in Battle Creek, Michigan who had bowel problems). But this all changed, and out of human error, processed cereal became a success. One day, while Kellogg and his brother, Will Keith Kellogg, were rolling out his oat, grain, cornmeal mixture to make Granola, they left it on the oven too long and it turned into crisp flakes. Corn flakes and the Kellogg cereal company were born! The Kellogg Brothers were followed by Charles William Post, a patient at the sanitarium who was inspired by the Kellogg brothers’ success. General Mills, Quaker, Nestle, and other cereal companies were quick to follow.
Knowing how cereal got its start, only scratches the surface of the question, “Where did cereal come from and how does it affect our food system?” We still have to consider more questions – What made cereal become so popular so quickly? Who did cereal companies target? When did cereal go from the wheat, cornmeal, oat mixture that John Harvey Kellogg cooked up to bouncing colors and aisles full of every sugary flavor imaginable? To get your mind thinking about tomorrow’s blog, consider what commercials you remember watching as kid on Saturday morning. If you find yourself thinking about Tony the tiger, Toucan Sam, or Captain Crunch – you may know the topic of the next breakfast series.
Sources
http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/health/cereal.html
http://www.cuisinenet.com/digest/breakfast/cereal.shtml
http://www.mrbreakfast.com/article.asp?articleid=13
Question of the Week: Where did cereal come from and how does it affect our food system?
The first morning on the job at Know Your Farms, I walked into the kitchen looking for breakfast. I opened drawers, looked in cupboards, and checked the cabinets but I couldn’t find anything. Where was breakfast. It should stick out easily – after all, it comes in a big box, with some eye catching graphics, maybe a maze or crossword puzzle on the back. This is a staple in American households – how could it not be in the kitchen? What did these people eat for breakfast? Where was the cereal??
Over the past few weeks, I have learned that real food does not come out of a box. It is not the repetitious ritual of robotically shoveling spoonfuls of sugary coated stars and diamonds into your mouth. It does not involve gluing your eyes to a piece of cardboard, searching for a way to get through the maze that ends at the pot o’ gold. Real food is not represented by leprechauns, tigers, or elves. So how did our perception of food deteriorate from whole, fresh, prepared ingredients to a brightly colored box full of high fructose corn syrup? This week, I am tackling the question, “Where does cereal come from and how does it affect our food system?” This is a big question with many layers of questions to consider along the way, but the changes that allowed the breakfast table to transform to boxed cereals all occurred in a relatively short period of time.
It all starts with the number 1863, a monumental year for processed food. In 1863, packaged cereal was born. It was invented by James Caleb Jackson, a Seventh-Day Adventist and strong proponent of vegetarianism. The cereal consisted of tiny grains that Jackson named Granula, but it was hardly fast food. Granula had to sit overnight in order to be ready to eat. The next step combined making breakfast a packaged and quick meal. In 1977, John Harvey Kellogg created a wheat, oat, and cornmeal concoction he called Granola. These dark days of boxed cereal didn’t have the sugary kick or bright colors to keep anyone coming back for a second bowl (Kellogg actually created Granola for patients living in the sanitarium where he worked in Battle Creek, Michigan who had bowel problems). But this all changed, and out of human error, processed cereal became a success. One day, while Kellogg and his brother, Will Keith Kellogg, were rolling out his oat, grain, cornmeal mixture to make Granola, they left it on the oven too long and it turned into crisp flakes. Corn flakes and the Kellogg cereal company were born! The Kellogg Brothers were followed by Charles William Post, a patient at the sanitarium who was inspired by the Kellogg brothers’ success. General Mills, Quaker, Nestle, and other cereal companies were quick to follow.
Knowing how cereal got its start, only scratches the surface of the question, “Where did cereal come from and how does it affect our food system?” We still have to consider more questions – What made cereal become so popular so quickly? Who did cereal companies target? When did cereal go from the wheat, cornmeal, oat mixture that John Harvey Kellogg cooked up to bouncing colors and aisles full of every sugary flavor imaginable? To get your mind thinking about tomorrow’s blog, consider what commercials you remember watching as kid on Saturday morning. If you find yourself thinking about Tony the tiger, Toucan Sam, or Captain Crunch – you may know the topic of the next breakfast series.
Sources
http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/health/cereal.html
http://www.cuisinenet.com/digest/breakfast/cereal.shtml
http://www.mrbreakfast.com/article.asp?articleid=13
Friday, July 23, 2010
The Breakfast Series, 1
The Breakfast Series, 1
When I say “breakfast,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? An omelet with green peppers, onions, and sausage? Yogurt over granola and fresh peaches? Zucchini bread with peanut butter and apple slices? Or maybe you were thinking more along the lines of a bowl of whole-grain cereal splashed with milk? A granola bar with coffee? Or maybe just the coffee? How about hitting the drive through and grabbing a doughnut and coffee to go? Forget it, I don’t even have time for breakfast.
We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but what exactly is a breakfast? Go ahead, try to define it. Is it hot? Is it cold? Is it a liquid or a solid? Is it even a meal? Are we always breaking a fast when we eat breakfast? What time is breakfast? What is breakfast? I haven’t figured out the answers, but I do know that I have a whole lot of questions about “the most important meal of the day.” I want to learn about what it is, when it started, and how it has evolved in America, a society elbow deep in health problems and mangled food systems.
So, I decided the best place to start is right here on the Know Your Farms intern blog. Now, it’s a lot to bite off in one chew so I’m going to take the questions nibble by nibble. I will ask a question each day about the history of breakfast, the evolution of breakfast, breakfast in modern society, breakfast in other cultures, and so on in an attempt to learn more about what breakfast is. In addition to reflecting on the question of the day, I will also track what I eat for breakfast and record any interesting information I come across through research, conversation, or observation.
So stay tuned to get the “snap, crackle, and pop” about what this ritual is all about. Keep up with the blog while wasting time on facebook, when you’re dying to learn about how Seventh-Day Adventists revolutionized breakfast, or over your morning coffee. This post should be ready by breakfast time.
When I say “breakfast,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? An omelet with green peppers, onions, and sausage? Yogurt over granola and fresh peaches? Zucchini bread with peanut butter and apple slices? Or maybe you were thinking more along the lines of a bowl of whole-grain cereal splashed with milk? A granola bar with coffee? Or maybe just the coffee? How about hitting the drive through and grabbing a doughnut and coffee to go? Forget it, I don’t even have time for breakfast.
We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but what exactly is a breakfast? Go ahead, try to define it. Is it hot? Is it cold? Is it a liquid or a solid? Is it even a meal? Are we always breaking a fast when we eat breakfast? What time is breakfast? What is breakfast? I haven’t figured out the answers, but I do know that I have a whole lot of questions about “the most important meal of the day.” I want to learn about what it is, when it started, and how it has evolved in America, a society elbow deep in health problems and mangled food systems.
So, I decided the best place to start is right here on the Know Your Farms intern blog. Now, it’s a lot to bite off in one chew so I’m going to take the questions nibble by nibble. I will ask a question each day about the history of breakfast, the evolution of breakfast, breakfast in modern society, breakfast in other cultures, and so on in an attempt to learn more about what breakfast is. In addition to reflecting on the question of the day, I will also track what I eat for breakfast and record any interesting information I come across through research, conversation, or observation.
So stay tuned to get the “snap, crackle, and pop” about what this ritual is all about. Keep up with the blog while wasting time on facebook, when you’re dying to learn about how Seventh-Day Adventists revolutionized breakfast, or over your morning coffee. This post should be ready by breakfast time.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Zucchini Crust Tomato Basil Tart
Last Wednesday, Kaitlin and I made a wonderful decision to stick around and get some work done out on Christy’s front porch while people were coming to pick up their CSA boxes. I have to say that working on the front porch is always a good idea, considering the presence of the incredibly comfortable bed (yes, an actual bed!). One of the greatest perks to sticking around was that Dr. Molinek showed up at a very opportune time to share some advice with us. In addition to offering Kaitlin some advice concerning Davidson math classes, she also recommended a zucchini crust tomato basil tart recipe, which she and her husband had come across in preparing the previous week’s CSA box contents.
Now I have to let you know that these days people around the house are a bit skeptical about recipes that I come across. There was a slight crisis with the blueberry cheesecake muffins from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook, a recipe that included pureed yellow squash and pureed lambs quarters. Needless to say, all but the ¼ of a muffin I dared to eat, ended up in the trash. However, the good news is that the zucchini crust tart was a HUGE hit! So for your personal enjoyment, here it is:
You need
* 2 lbs zucchini, shredded (about 6 medium zukes)
* 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (use white and green parts) – We just used onions
* 1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs, plus
* 2 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs
* 1 to taste salt and black pepper
* 1 eggs, beaten
* 6 ounces shredded Fontina cheese – Feel free to use whatever cheese you already have
* 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced – or as many tomatoes as you’d like!
* 1/4 cup loosely packed slivered fresh basil leaves
* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus
* 1 to taste more extra virgin olive oil, for the pan
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 1 1/4 hr
1. Place the zucchini and scallions in a large sauté pan.
2. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the zucchini shrinks, about 6 minutes.
3. Drain in a colander.
4. Press out excess water with a large spoon.
5. Return the zucchini and scallions to the pan.
6. Add 1/4 cup bread crumbs and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
7. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, tossing frquently.
8. Add the egg; toss.
9. Preheat the oven to 400°F and coat a 9-inch pie pan with oil.
10. Press the zucchini mixture into the bottom and up the sides, but not over the lip, of the pan.
11. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden.
12. Remove and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Fontina.
13. Top with the tomato slices, overlapping slightly if necessary.
14. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
15. Cover with 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, the basil, the olive oil and the remaining cup of Fontina.
16. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is well browned.
17. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
Now I have to let you know that these days people around the house are a bit skeptical about recipes that I come across. There was a slight crisis with the blueberry cheesecake muffins from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook, a recipe that included pureed yellow squash and pureed lambs quarters. Needless to say, all but the ¼ of a muffin I dared to eat, ended up in the trash. However, the good news is that the zucchini crust tart was a HUGE hit! So for your personal enjoyment, here it is:
You need
* 2 lbs zucchini, shredded (about 6 medium zukes)
* 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (use white and green parts) – We just used onions
* 1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs, plus
* 2 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs
* 1 to taste salt and black pepper
* 1 eggs, beaten
* 6 ounces shredded Fontina cheese – Feel free to use whatever cheese you already have
* 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced – or as many tomatoes as you’d like!
* 1/4 cup loosely packed slivered fresh basil leaves
* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus
* 1 to taste more extra virgin olive oil, for the pan
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 1 1/4 hr
1. Place the zucchini and scallions in a large sauté pan.
2. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the zucchini shrinks, about 6 minutes.
3. Drain in a colander.
4. Press out excess water with a large spoon.
5. Return the zucchini and scallions to the pan.
6. Add 1/4 cup bread crumbs and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
7. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, tossing frquently.
8. Add the egg; toss.
9. Preheat the oven to 400°F and coat a 9-inch pie pan with oil.
10. Press the zucchini mixture into the bottom and up the sides, but not over the lip, of the pan.
11. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden.
12. Remove and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Fontina.
13. Top with the tomato slices, overlapping slightly if necessary.
14. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
15. Cover with 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, the basil, the olive oil and the remaining cup of Fontina.
16. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is well browned.
17. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Food Deserts and a Food Education Drought - Kaitlin
When my friends and family members ask me what I am doing with my time this summer, I get excited when I tell them that I am learning about slow food. This summer I have had the opportunity to help run the Know Your Farms CSA, volunteer at the farmer's market, and cook community meals made from whole, fresh ingredients. I have had the luxury to get to "know my farmers" and eat organically and learn how to grow my own food. Sometimes, I even find myself judging people who do not make the choice to buy foods that follow good, clean, and fair practices. I find myself scoffing at non Fair Trade coffee on a restaurant menu. I silently disapprove of my friend who orders a mango and banana smoothie at Jamba Juice. I start wanting to stop every car that pulls into Harris Teeter and yell at the driver, "Don't you know anything about eating locally!!" And that's when I have to stop myself. Not only am I acting like a slow-food psycho , but I am also forgetting about the 70,000 people in Charlotte Mecklenburg County alone who don't have the option to choose affordable and nutritious food.
Yesterday, Christy and I attended a presentation from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Policy Council. At the presentation, Dr. Elizabeth Racine, the Assistant Professor of Public Health at UNC-Charlotte shared information on the food system in Charlotte Mecklenburg. Dr. Racine addressed major questions about food deserts in Mecklenburg County. According to the 2008 US Farm Bill, a food desert is an "area in US w/ limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly such an area composed of predominantly lower income neighborhoods and communities" (2008 US Farm Bill). The Food Policy Council's study concluded that 60 food deserts exists within the 373 CBGs in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. People in food deserts do not have the ability to settle for food that comes out of a warehouse or even a convenience store. Without access to transportation, these individuals cannot even reach food centers outside of the food desert without paying the price. According to research from the University of Arizona, people in lower income neighborhoods spend more on groceries than in higher income neighborhoods. This is due to the money that individuals end up spending on transportation to reach the food center and due to the fact that individuals must shop more frequently and buy smaller quantities which end up making the entire food purchasing experience more expensive. People living in food deserts have to take what they can get. We talk about the importance of buying fair trade coffee, chocolate, or other foreign goods but it is easy to forget that there is a food system in our own county, right next to our own neighborhoods, that is not providing good, clean, fair food to its residents. Many of us have the luxury to turn our noses up at high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors, but those standards do not exist for so many individuals, especially in food deserts. The bottom line is that 70,000 individuals living in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County do not have the ability to easily make healthy choices every day.
So where do we go from here? Marilyn Marks, a member of the Food Policy Council, brought up the importance of tackling these food problems within the food deserts. We have to motivate the people in these communities to voice their ideas if we want change to come about. The problem here is that these food deserts are not only lacking affordable, healthy food, but they are also facing a food education drought. Individuals in these areas need to gain knowledge on how to effectively generate changes in their communities by demanding healthy, affordable food choices. This starts with providing food education along with the SNAP program in schools, encouraging churches and neighborhoods to start community gardens, and giving the populations living in food deserts the support and confidence to voice the changes they want to see. I'm interested to learn how the Food Policy Council continues to raise awareness and spread knowledge about food deserts and the changes that must be made. Through this kind of education, individuals involved in food systems in Charlotte can start making connections between educating populations in food deserts and helping these individuals gain the ability to make healthy, affordable choices.
Yesterday, Christy and I attended a presentation from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Policy Council. At the presentation, Dr. Elizabeth Racine, the Assistant Professor of Public Health at UNC-Charlotte shared information on the food system in Charlotte Mecklenburg. Dr. Racine addressed major questions about food deserts in Mecklenburg County. According to the 2008 US Farm Bill, a food desert is an "area in US w/ limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly such an area composed of predominantly lower income neighborhoods and communities" (2008 US Farm Bill). The Food Policy Council's study concluded that 60 food deserts exists within the 373 CBGs in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. People in food deserts do not have the ability to settle for food that comes out of a warehouse or even a convenience store. Without access to transportation, these individuals cannot even reach food centers outside of the food desert without paying the price. According to research from the University of Arizona, people in lower income neighborhoods spend more on groceries than in higher income neighborhoods. This is due to the money that individuals end up spending on transportation to reach the food center and due to the fact that individuals must shop more frequently and buy smaller quantities which end up making the entire food purchasing experience more expensive. People living in food deserts have to take what they can get. We talk about the importance of buying fair trade coffee, chocolate, or other foreign goods but it is easy to forget that there is a food system in our own county, right next to our own neighborhoods, that is not providing good, clean, fair food to its residents. Many of us have the luxury to turn our noses up at high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors, but those standards do not exist for so many individuals, especially in food deserts. The bottom line is that 70,000 individuals living in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County do not have the ability to easily make healthy choices every day.
So where do we go from here? Marilyn Marks, a member of the Food Policy Council, brought up the importance of tackling these food problems within the food deserts. We have to motivate the people in these communities to voice their ideas if we want change to come about. The problem here is that these food deserts are not only lacking affordable, healthy food, but they are also facing a food education drought. Individuals in these areas need to gain knowledge on how to effectively generate changes in their communities by demanding healthy, affordable food choices. This starts with providing food education along with the SNAP program in schools, encouraging churches and neighborhoods to start community gardens, and giving the populations living in food deserts the support and confidence to voice the changes they want to see. I'm interested to learn how the Food Policy Council continues to raise awareness and spread knowledge about food deserts and the changes that must be made. Through this kind of education, individuals involved in food systems in Charlotte can start making connections between educating populations in food deserts and helping these individuals gain the ability to make healthy, affordable choices.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
A Tale of Tomatoes- James
I realized last night that we've used the same tomato sauce as a base for at least one dish at each of our last three community dinners.
Almost all the tomatoes we've been using recently began their life at All-Seasons Farm. This sauce; however, began it's culinary life as a topping for pasta. We started with sauteeing onion (Barbee Farms) and Garlic Scapes (Coldwater Creek), added some zucchini (KYF Garden) and bell peppers (Barbee), dumped a bunch of those tomatoes in and let them cook, and finished with some basil from the garden. Delicious and Simple. However, we made a little too much, and it was still around come Sunday.
Sunday's dinner was interesting. We started thinking there might be 10 people around, if we got lucky. We ended up successfully feeding 18, with the tomato sauce playing a solid supporting role role in our adaptation of this Zucchini Cups recipe. Also featured were Swiss-chard-stuffed Patty Pan Squash (chard courtesy of Coldwater Creek, squash from the Barbees), grilled leeks (also Barbee) with a mustard sauce, baba ganoush (with Barbee eggplant), and a garlic scape pesto/Goat Lady Chevre/homemade yogurt dip that I was really proud of. We also ate a lot of melon (Canteloupe and Watermelon from the Barbees, again).
Having successfully cleaned out the fridge Sunday, we were faced with the clean out the fridge-after cleaning out the fridge meal. Or rather, the leftovers meal. Our hero, the tomato sauce, went through another transmutation, this time to something that vaguely resembled chili. This time we again started with onion and garlic (from the same folks as the first time), then added some summer squash, a couple jalapenos (KC Farms), a lot of cumin, and some cooked ground beef. Once those cooked some, we dumped in the remainder of the zucchini filling, the remainder of a jar of Yah's Best Salsa, and a few more tomatoes, for good measure. Very casual, real filling. A fitting end for our hero.
Almost all the tomatoes we've been using recently began their life at All-Seasons Farm. This sauce; however, began it's culinary life as a topping for pasta. We started with sauteeing onion (Barbee Farms) and Garlic Scapes (Coldwater Creek), added some zucchini (KYF Garden) and bell peppers (Barbee), dumped a bunch of those tomatoes in and let them cook, and finished with some basil from the garden. Delicious and Simple. However, we made a little too much, and it was still around come Sunday.
Sunday's dinner was interesting. We started thinking there might be 10 people around, if we got lucky. We ended up successfully feeding 18, with the tomato sauce playing a solid supporting role role in our adaptation of this Zucchini Cups recipe. Also featured were Swiss-chard-stuffed Patty Pan Squash (chard courtesy of Coldwater Creek, squash from the Barbees), grilled leeks (also Barbee) with a mustard sauce, baba ganoush (with Barbee eggplant), and a garlic scape pesto/Goat Lady Chevre/homemade yogurt dip that I was really proud of. We also ate a lot of melon (Canteloupe and Watermelon from the Barbees, again).
Having successfully cleaned out the fridge Sunday, we were faced with the clean out the fridge-after cleaning out the fridge meal. Or rather, the leftovers meal. Our hero, the tomato sauce, went through another transmutation, this time to something that vaguely resembled chili. This time we again started with onion and garlic (from the same folks as the first time), then added some summer squash, a couple jalapenos (KC Farms), a lot of cumin, and some cooked ground beef. Once those cooked some, we dumped in the remainder of the zucchini filling, the remainder of a jar of Yah's Best Salsa, and a few more tomatoes, for good measure. Very casual, real filling. A fitting end for our hero.
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